I had similar issue with 298 - starter just stopped turning. In the end I discovered it was petrol in the oil, eaten through the starter gasket. I had to replace the starter motor.
Popped, (if thats the phrase with these bikes) the starter motor out and connected it to a good battery with jump leads....Nothing so I took it apart and can see the reason why! No burning or other destructive forces at work. Bearings are top hole and so a new set of brushes and a good cleanup should see this right. There was no way this wasn't going to require a rebuild.
Short update, Replacement brushes came through really quickly, however a little jiggery pokery was needed as the bakelte insulator and positive connection post were ever so slightly different from the original. Nothing a little filing and sanding didnt cure, Anyhow, starter motor tested, back on the bike and now works great. Only issue now is that she again refuses to fire up. I tried first without choke, then a little then fully open. Big fat sparks zero noise. There does seem to be a lot of fuel passing through the carbs despite the settings I have described before. I will keep trying.
By the way, has anyone got a source for a set of the cylinder head o rings. Ducati Wolverhampton, (my nearest) are no longer.
most dealers/service centres will mail them to you, try Neil at Cornerspeed, when you say fuel is getting through the carbs do you mean the plugs are wet?
yep. plugs wetter than an otters pocket. ironically the bike will start and run with a shot of easy start down the carb throats which tend to suggest its still a fuelling problem..... im getting a little pissed at this bike.
Frustrating as hell at times carbs, I recently had one carb running massively rich on my M900, rebuilt the carbs at least 3 times to no avail, the last time I stripped them I noticed the diaphragm was soaked in fuel, no idea why because at that point I cut my losses, bought a second hand set of carbs, rebuilt them, problem solved, so it was something to do with that carb body but I’ve not even bothered to find out what was wrong with it because I was so pissed off with the whole process!
short of FCR 41s which are not a priority at the mo, Ill have to kep plugging away. By the way, still popping and farting with some lovely pyrotechnics!
It is only my opinion but unless in tiptop condition FCRs in general will give you far more quirky irritating fuelling problems than the standard Mikunis. Great for the track or on a pampered, low usage bike but not really suited/not as reliable in the long run for a road bike.
That and i cant afford a set! ill keep persevering with what iv'e got. problem is if it is the carbs, buying another used set might lead to bigger problems, or it might not. I dunno which way to jump at the moment.
Totally agree re: a used set. I was paranoid enough to get a new/old stock pair a few years ago. They still turn up from time to time in Italy?Germany/Poland but price is around 2 to 3 hundred now. If you are on the UKMOC you could try a request on there as their spares stock is generally better than this Forum for these carbs.
FCRs are generally more difficult to set up, they hate the cold and until engine is warm they are a pain as they can be difficult to start. I have also had trouble when they flooded the engine due to float needles not seating. This can be sorted though. This is my experience......HOWEVER, Once you have tried them you will see how the engine is woken up! The FCRs dump fuel into the engine whereas the Mikunis feel restricted. If you want to get the most out of these engines FCRs are the way to go. When the main jet kicks in my bike just feels amazing, smooth power and plenty more than standard. I do have other mods, but the carbs are one of the best things I did.
I rebuilt a set of the Mikunis last year and got everything I needed OEM from @Nellie. Great service and excellent advice. @Arquebus is also a great source of real world advice for the standard carbs
I note you floats are set at 13mm, so are mine on my 91ss, runs fine, on Nellies advice I set the floats to 14mm on my 96 M900, runs fine, so unless you’ve radically altered the intake/exhaust your setting of 13mm should be fine. When you say it’s popping/banging where is that on the Rev range?, could you post a video?
Total long shot and you may have already eliminated it but have you tried baffling the exhaust, I note your exhaust is straight through, this will allow air to be sucked into the exhausts through the exits igniting any unburnt gasses, you could make temporary baffles from a bit of old thin gauge tubing bent over at the end with a few holes punched in it, unlikely to be the fix but could be worth a try.
That's exactly the issue, its not in the rev range it is on what should be tickover. I say should because on of the pots clearly didn't kick in straight away. I will do some better runs over the weekend because I am conscious of the neighbours at night. She is not the quietest bike iv'e owned
